Cologne to Zurich bus: 2.7 a day, fastest 8h55

2.7 a dayfastest 8h55☾ 2 overnight busesFlixBus🇩🇪 Germany → 🇨🇭 Switzerland

Direct buses · no change

CologneFrankfurtHeidelbergRustLörrachBaselZurich· 413 km as the crow flies

14:40 → 00:05⁺¹
FlixBus 007
Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) → Zurich Bus Station · via Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Rust, Lörrach…
9h258 stops
Runs: Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun (some weeks)Book on FlixBus ↗
18:35 → 03:30⁺¹
FlixBus N177 ☾ Overnight
Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) → Zurich Bus Station · via Mannheim, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart…
8h557 stops
Runs: DailyThe night the clocks change (Sat 24 Oct: 18:35 → 02:30+1)Book on FlixBus ↗
23:05 → 09:00⁺¹
FlixBus N11 ☾ Overnight
Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) → Zurich Bus Station · via Bonn, Saarbrücken, Strasbourg, Freiburg…
9h556 stops
Runs: Wed to Sun (some weeks)The night the clocks change (Sat 24 Oct: 23:05 → 08:00+1)Book on FlixBus ↗

Local times at each stop. Times from official open data: FlixBus (file of 11 Oct 2026). Checked Sun 18 Oct 2026; they cover 18 Oct to 14 Nov 2026. Timetables change, so check with the operator before you travel. Contains FlixBus timetable data (FlixMobility, transport.data.gouv.fr), ODbL 1.0. How we build this.

Bus, train or plane

☾ Overnight: leave 18:35, arrive 03:30

The plane is 5h38 quicker door to door, but the night bus spends your night on the road instead of a day.

Bus · fastest direct10h03

To Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2)39 min
At the stop before departure15 min
FlixBus N1778h55
From Zurich Bus Station14 min

Train · fastest direct5h20

Before departure10 min
ICE 1055h06
From Zürich HB4 min

Plane · nonstop CGN to ZRH4h25

To Cologne Bonn (CGN)45 min
Check-in & security1h30
Flight CGN to ZRH1h15
Landing to exit20 min
From ZRH35 min

City centre to city centre. Getting to stops, stations and airports: typical public-transport times (estimates). Bus: be at the stop 15 min before. Plane: check-in and security 1h30 before, then getting out after landing; flight time typical for the distance. Train: pickthetrain's door-to-door time.

Train instead?

3 a daydirect trains, fastest 5h06

SBB. No change of train, from the operators' official timetables.

See the trains on pickthetrain ↗

Flying instead?

2 airlines fly Cologne to Zurich nonstop. Book on the airline's own site:

EurowingsCGN→ZRH · DUS→ZRHBook direct ↗
Swiss International Air LinesDUS→ZRHBook direct ↗

Compare on picktheflight ↗

Quick answers

Is there a direct bus from Cologne to Zurich?

Yes. 2.7 a day on average, with FlixBus, no change of bus (18 Oct to 14 Nov 2026).

How long is the bus from Cologne to Zurich?

The fastest takes 8h55; the slowest 9h55, for 413 km as the crow flies.

When do the buses leave?

The earliest leaves at 14:40 and the latest at 23:05, local time in Cologne. Not every bus runs every day: pick a date above.

Is there a night bus from Cologne to Zurich?

Yes: 2 overnight departures in the timetable, for example 18:35 arriving 03:30 the next morning.

Cologne ▸ Zurich

Direct buses · no change

Quick answers

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